06 | offshore V IEWPO INT I remember the inaugural Hamilton Island Race Week in 1984, when I was racing on the Frers 43 Di Hard, thoroughly enjoying a great week of racing despite the tropical thunderstorms! The island had only recently begun trading and was far from finished. That first year was great, a fleet of 93 boats gathered to check out the new resort and the new regatta. It rained every day with strong winds – some media dubbed it “Hamilton Island Rain Week”. The atmosphere of that first regatta was great and Race Week was well and truly born. From these rough beginnings Audi Hamilton Race Week has grown from strength to strength to its present position of being Australia’s premier keel boat regatta. After many years, I am pleased to report that the book detailing the history of the CYCA has been printed. The title of the book From Ratbags to Respectability will no doubt create much discussion around the club as will the stories and photos within it. Any history of our great club has the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race entwined within it, so the book tells two stories, one about the Club growing from its humble beginnings in the early post-war era and the other about our great race, for it was this race that bought the club to the attention of the world. There are many people to thank in regards to this book, especially the Archives committee chaired by director Rod Skellet and David Colfelt, the author. The project started in the early 1980s, so while it has been a slow journey to having the book printed, I am confident it is well worth the wait. I am proud to announce that SOLAS, the CYCA charitable trust which was established as a result of the tragic events of the 1998 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, has made two donations recently. The first donation was made to the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Brisbane to assist with the refurbishment of their rescue vessel CG1. The second donation was made to NRMA Careflight for the purchase of three sets of night vision goggles. These goggles are most helpful both on land and sea rescues at night and are similar to the equipment used by the armed forces. The SOLAS donation to NRMA Careflight is the second of its kind, with SOLAS having now donated in excess of $37,000 to NRMA Careflight since its inception. These two donations continue to highlight the work that SOLAS does not only for yachtsmen and their crews but also for the broader community, such as bushwalkers. If any member wishes to donate directly to SOLAS, please feel free to contact either myself or Mark Woolf. I am pleased to announce Jennifer Crooks has joined the CYCA in the role of Communications Manager and brings to the club over ten years communication, public relations and marketing experience. I wish to thank Lisa Ratcliff for doing a great job during her twelve years at the club, especially in her role as Media Director for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. In order to deliver world class sailing management across all disciplines, the Board accepted a recommendation from management to restructure the Club’s sailing activities under the direction of Justine Kirkjian, CYCA Sailing Manager. This will allow the Club to better utilise both human and on water resources between two key sailing areas and therefore provide increased value to our members. It seemed like the end of an era when Jenni Bonnitcha resigned as the manager/coach of the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy. Jenni has assisted greatly in creating what is now regarded the leading youth sailing academy in Australia. We should all be proud of her achievements and wish her well for the future. The YSA Winter sailing squads are well underway and I am pleased to announce that the squads will be training under a great line-up of coaches including Nev Wittey, Andrew Baglin, Gabrielle King, Evan Walker, Tom Barker and Rob Bell. Congratulations go to Gabrielle King who won the OAMPS Insurance Brokers Youth Sailor of the Year 2008 at the Australian Yachting Awards held in early May. Also on the night I was very pleased to see John Anderson OAM win the Yachting Australia Sport Professional Award. John has put so much into the sport over the years and has been of great assistance to so many of our members over the years. I look forward to seeing you at the club or on the water in the near future. At the helm Matt Allen, Commodore Cruising Yacht Club of Australia With the weather cooling down and the Audi Winter series in full swing, thoughts go to what is next on the sailing agenda, namely the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Race on 26th July and the 25th Audi Hamilton Island Race Week on 22-30 August 2008.